Penguins, Flyers honor Ottawa with rendition of 'O Canada'
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers paid tribute to the city of Ottawa and the victims of Wednesday's shootings with a rendition of "O Canada," the Canadian national anthem, before their game in Pittsburgh Wednesday night.
The crowd at the Consol Center sang along to the anthem and the arena used lights to display Canada's maple leaf insignia on the ice.
From The Associated Press:
"I thought it was a special tribute tonight," said Penguins coach Mike Johnston, who was born in Nova Scotia and has coached throughout Canada. "Certainly when those events happen, they strike everybody."
In Wednesday's attacks, a Canadian solider was killed and several others were hospitalized with minor injuries after a shooting rampage perpetrated by a lone gunman in the Canadian capital. The gunman killed the solider, who was standing guard at the National War Memorial, before entering the Parliament building, where he was eventually shot dead.
The NHL postponed Wednesday night's game between the host Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs in the wake of the shootings. The date and time of the rescheduled game will be announced later.
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk released the following statement after the NHL's decision:
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by today’s tragic events on Parliament Hill and in downtown Ottawa. Our collective thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims as well as with all Members of Parliament and staff who have had to manage through today’s difficult circumstances. Hockey is certainly secondary to these type of tragic events and we know our fans stand alongside us with the league’s decision to postpone tonight’s game.”
The NHL made a similar decision in 2013, postponing the Boston Bruins' home game against the Senators on April 15 due to the Boston Marathon bombings that occurred earlier that day.
- Ben Estes